


Convincing Nona

by BadWolfRose (BadWolf1988)



Series: Diana & Nona Series [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Romance, Shyness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:06:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf1988/pseuds/BadWolfRose
Summary: Nona Britton has always felt second best to her older, more accomplished big sister, Diana...even though Diana has never done anything to make her feel that way. No, her low self-esteem was all her father's doing.When Diana meets the love of her love in the form of an older FBI agent, Nona is thrown into the path of his co-worker, Dr. Spencer Reid.Spencer is sweet and scary smart, if not a little introverted. He's also hell-bent on forcing her to see her own worth.Can Spencer convince Nona that she's worth keeping forever?





	1. Nona

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own and I am not affiliated in any way with the television show Criminal Minds. CM is owned by CBS. I just like to borrow their characters from time to time.
> 
> This is the sister fic to Principessa Diana. You don't have to read that story to read this one. If you are reading both, read Principessa Diana first or...spoilers sweetie.
> 
> In this story, the POV will bounce back and forth each chapter. One chapter will be Nona's POV so the next one will be told from Spencer's POV and so on.

“Alright, class,” I got the attention of the fifteen students in my charge. “I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Remember, when class resumes, I expect a two-page report on my desk about what you were most thankful this year...single-spaced and written in pencil.” I instructed.

I smiled a little to myself as I watched my class file out of the room. If there was one thing I loved about my life it was my job. I taught fifth grade at the _St. Francis Xavier School_ in Washington, D.C. While my lawyer father would have preferred that I teach at some highbrow prep school in New England, _St. Francis_ suited me just fine. I never had to pay for my own supplies, the textbooks and equipment were up to date, and the class sizes were manageable. It was a million times better of a work environment than my brief stint teaching in the public school system in my native Florida when I had been just out of college.

As I went about gathering my things for the afternoon staff meeting, the phone on my desk started ringing.

“Miss Britton's classroom,” I answered distractedly as I gathered up some test results that needed to be handed into the school's principal, Father Gibson.

“Hey there, little sister.” Chirped the cheerful voice of my older sister, Diana. God, she had been so annoyingly happy ever she had gotten married.

“What do you need, Di?” I asked impatiently. “I have a staff meeting to get to before I can leave for the holidays.”

“I wanted to see what your plans are for Thanksgiving?”

I really didn't have any. Our little brother, Apollo, was in Europe with his boyfriend of the month. Our dad had the Asshole of the Year award for the past sixty-six years in a row and had just married wife number six. I certainly didn't want to spend turkey day with him. Our mom had died years ago when Apollo was just a baby. I didn't really have a lot of options if I didn't want to be alone.

“I don't have any as of yet,” I told her truthfully. “I'm certainly not going to spend it in Florida with dad and Golddigger Barbie.” Women didn't keep marrying my father for his looks. They married him for the fortune he had amassed as a top rated criminal defense attorney.

“I kinda figured.” Diana giggled. “Dave and I are heading up to the cabin in Little Creek with a friend of his from work.” Diana's husband, Dave, was an FBI agent on top of being a bestselling author...just like my big sister.

“I'll be there.” I rushed her off the phone so I wasn't late for the staff meeting. For a priest, Father Gibson could get really pissed off when people weren't on time.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **


	2. Spencer

As I parked my Volvo next to Rossi's SUV and a newer model Chevy Impala, I took a deep breath. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be in Vegas, spending Thanksgiving with my mom but, for all my considerable intelligence, I had waited until the last possible moment to attempt to book a flight. Long story short, I couldn't get a seat on any airline and somehow allowed Rossi to convince me to spend the week of Thanksgiving with him and his new wife at their cabin in Little Creek, Virgina.

I grabbed my duffel bag out of the trunk and trudged up the steps to ring the doorbell. As I waited, I took a step back to take a good look at the cabin. Did David Rossi not know what a cabin was? This place was two-stories high, had a satellite dish on the roof, and actually looked bigger than the senior FBI agent's D.C. area condo.

When the heavy wooden door opened, I was met with a sight of a beautiful woman...that I had met before. She had dark blonde hair and big honey-brown eyes. Of average height and build, her name was Nona Britton. She was the twenty-six-year-old younger sister of Rossi's wife, Diana. I had met her at their wedding; had even danced with her...because Morgan had noticed me staring at her and has asked her for my, much to my embarrassment. She was an elementary school teacher at a Catholic school in D.C. and was the sweet and shy daughter of a nationally famous criminal defense attorney.

“Hey, Spencer,” She smiled brightly at me. “I didn't know that you were the friend of Dave's spending Thanksgiving with us.”

Yeah, Rossi had neglected to tell me that she was going to be there as well. I had a feeling that this had been by design. After a case a few weeks earlier, the team had gone out for a few drinks. After one too many beers, I had gotten WAY too talkative. I had ended up admitting to Rossi that I hadn't been able to get Nona out of my head since his September wedding. Since then, Rossi had tried to give me the slightly younger woman's number on multiple occasions but I always brushed him off. While I didn't have the problem getting women that Morgan seemed to think I did, I also knew that Nona was _way_ out of my league.

“It's good to see you again, Nona,” I told her sincerely as she stepped aside to allow me to enter. “I didn't know you were going to be here either. How have you been?” I asked as I stepped into the small entrance hall. What the hell kind of cabin had an entrance hall?

“I've been good.” She stopped and put her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “And I actually didn't know that I was coming until a few days ago.”

That means that Rossi had a few days to give me a heads up. I started looking around for the older man. Me and him seriously needed to have a conversation.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **


	3. Nona

While Dave was showing Spencer around the property, I was pacing back and forth in front of the sleigh bed in the guest room that Diana had assigned me when we had arrived. I was having a slight anxiety attack and mentally plotting the deaths of my sister and brother-in-law.

Spending a week cooped up in a remote cabin (no matter how ridiculously luxurious) with Dr. Spencer Reid was a nightmare that was coming true. I had met him at Dave and Diana's wedding. He was an uber genius that worked with Dave at the FBI. He was also the perfect mixture of geek and sexy that I found irresistible. He knew all there was to know about my all-time favorite TV show, Doctor Who. He even agreed that Matt Smith (bowties are cool) was the best Doctor to ever step foot in the TARDIS. He was sexy as hell... at least to me. I knew that he wasn't for everyone but the expressive eyes, crooked smile, and slightly long unkempt dirty-blond hair was very appealing to me. The way he was so quiet that I thought he was shy at first only to be amazed when he asked me to dance and held me with so much authority and possessiveness.... turned me on in a way that I didn't think was possible.

A knock on the door made me jump.

“Come in!” I called out.

The door opened and Diana entered... looking guilty.

“Dinner's almost done,” she told me, closing the door. “Dave has the steaks on the grill.”

I glared at her. “You are on my shit list and so is Dave.”

I had told my big sister all about my crush on Spencer. This was all her doing and Dave was so in love with her that he was going along with it... of this I was certain. I knew that Diana shared everything with her husband. There was no way Dave didn't know how I felt about his co-worker.

“He couldn't get a flight home to Vegas... we didn't want him to be alone,” Diana defended as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

While I knew that both my sister and her husband were very caring people, she didn't fool me for a second. She could have called and warned me that he was coming or said something on the drive up but she hadn't said a damn word. “You could have told me he was coming,” I pointed out.

“I told you a friend of Dave's from work was coming,” she countered.

She was right. She had told me that. She just hadn't given me a name... and I hadn't thought to ask for one. Damn it! I hated it when I couldn't win an argument.

 

[ **_MY WEBSITE_ ** ](http://www.badwolfrose.com)


	4. Spencer

“You're pure evil, Rossi.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my tan slacks and glared at the older man. “Diana too. She's the Persephone to your Hades.”

It was a rather warm November evening so Dave was grilling everyone steaks for dinner on the back porch of the cabin. He chuckled. “Wrong kid. Persephone loathed Hades. Diana loves me,” he said smugly and with more than a little lovesickness in his tone. Oh, how the Italian lothario had fallen... and hard.

“You could have given me a heads up that Nona was coming.” I glared at him.

“If I had told you she was coming you wouldn't have,” Dave smirked.

“Rossi, you know how I feel about her,” I accused as I leaned back against the wooden railing of the porch. “She is way out of my league.”

“So?” His boss shrugged as he flipped the steaks. “Diana's twenty years younger than me and is way out of my league. Doesn't mean that she isn't capable of being attracted to me.”

Rossi was doing that annoying thing where he used his own life to point out things I should be paying attention to in my life. I needed to make sure I was understanding what he was subtly trying to tell me before I went and made a fool out of myself. “Are you saying that Nona's attracted to me?” I asked, probably a little too hopefully.

“That's what she told Diana after the wedding,” Dave confirmed.

I was... blown away that a woman like Nona would even look twice at a guy like me. She came from a prominent family, was well educated, and was beautiful enough to be a cover model on one of those Victoria's Secret catalogs that Morgan kept hidden in his desk. I was also a bit befuddled. Why didn't Nona just tell me that she liked me? I mean, look at me. What were the chances that a guy like me would turn down a woman like her? Zero. The answer was that there was zero chance. “Why hasn't she said anything to me?”

“Why haven't you said anything to her?” Dave countered.

“I already told you... because she's out of my...” I trailed off when it hit me. “You're joking? She thinks I'm too good for her?” This had to be one of Morgan's pranks and Rossi was in on it. If it was, I'll be the first to admit that it was epic but I would kill Morgan the next time I saw him.

“Nona doesn't see herself... clearly,” Dave explained as he shut off the grill. “She thinks that compared to Diana, she's the ugly sister.” He started piling steaks onto a plate. “Her asshole father has spent her whole life telling her that she isn't as good as Diana. It's never stopped the two of them from being close but it's killed the poor girl's self-esteem.”

That night at the dinner table, I paid extra close attention to Nona; profiled her really. She was seated across from me at the table and she tried her damnedest not to make eye contact... and when she did, she would start chewing on her bottom lip and look away as quickly as possible. When our hands brushed together reaching for the salt, I saw the goosebumps that formed on the skin of her arm before she swiftly pulled her hand back into her lap.

After dinner, to be polite to our hosts, we both cleared the table and did the washing up. When we were alone together in the kitchen, I complimented the pretty orange sweater dress she was wearing and she turned beet red. Dave was right. She was attracted to me. If he was also correct about her self-esteem, I would have to be the one to make the first move.

With a kiss to her cheek that I know took her by surprise, I bid her, Dave, and Diana good night and retreated to my guest room to come up with a plan of action. Maybe Thanksgiving wouldn't be so bad this year after all.

 

[ _**MY WEBSITE** _ ](http://www.badwolfrose.com)


	5. Nona

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brice Barclay does not exist... that I know of. There was never a character on Doctor Who with that name, I checked. Josh Dallas played Node 2 in the episode, 'Silence in the Library'.

The next day I woke up feeling very confused. The previous night at dinner – and after – it sure seemed like Spencer was flirting with me. That had to be all in my head, right? Wishful thinking. There was no way a good-looking FBI agent/uber genius would be interested in mousy looking, school teacher me.

Walking downstairs and into the kitchen in search of coffee, I found Spencer seated at the kitchen table with a mug already in front of him... and he was alone.

“Where's Diana and Dave?” I put a friendly smile on my face as I made my way over to the coffee pot. As I knew there would be, there was a clean mug sitting on the counter in front of it. Ever since we were teenagers, Diana would always rise earlier and set up the coffee pot, something neither one of us could function without.

“Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and Dave said something about getting a Christmas tree,” Spencer said with a confused look on his face.

I laughed as I poured myself a black cup of coffee and moved to join him at the table. “Family tradition,” I explained as I took a seat across from him. “We always decorate the Christmas tree the week of Thanksgiving.”

“Shouldn't you finish one holiday before you start another?” Spencer asked as he pushed a basket of freshly baked muffins towards me. Oh, yeah, Diana and Dave had totally planned this. My sister didn't make her famous banana nut muffins and leave them behind for no good reason.

“Of course not,” I grabbed a muffin out of the basket. “My mom believed it just made sure the celebration lasted longer. We started decorating for Thanksgiving the day after Halloween and left everything up until the day after New Years.”

“Your mom sounds like a unique woman,” he chuckled.

“Yeah... she was,” I said sadly, suddenly losing my appetite. Over a decade after her death and it still hurt to think about my mom.

“My mom's a paranoid schizophrenic living in a mental hospital in Las Vegas.” Spencer surprised me by sharing. “I had planned on spending Thanksgiving with her but I waited too long to book a flight.”

“I'm sorry,” I smiled and told him sincerely.

“It's okay, I'm not as disappointed as I was before.” He shook his head.

“Why's that?” I asked curiously.

“Because, if I can't be with my mom, I at least get to spend the holiday with you.” There was playful smirk playing on his lips and I now had zero doubt that he was flirting with me. Now, I had a whole new problem... I didn't know how to flirt back! Britton women were known for our awkwardness, not our powers of seduction.

I was saved from having to respond by the sound of the front door slamming open as if a small child had just come barreling through it. “BABY BROTHER IN THE HOUSE!”

Nope. Not a child, just a nineteen-year-old that acted like one.

Groaning in annoyance, I got to my feet; Spencer following me. What the hell was Apollo doing here? Last we had spoken, he was in Scotland with some guy named Brice, who apparently was the love of my little brother's life. Seeing as Brice was the fourth man in two years to wear this title, I didn't take Apollo's words too seriously. He was young and fell in love easily. I would believe it when I saw either a ring or a marriage licence.

I found my brother standing in the entrance hallway. He was wearing a big grin on his face and was holding hands with a good looking sandy-haired man who had to be twice his age. I could have sworn I'd seen him somewhere before.

“Pooh Bear, what are you doing here?” I walked over for a hug. Even if he could grate on my nerves like no one else, Apollo was still my baby brother and I was always happy to see him.

“The music festival in London we were planning on going to was canceled so I thought I would bring Brice for his first Thanksgiving.” Apollo returned my hug before stepping back to make introductions. “Brice, this is my big sister, Nona. Nona, this is my partner, Brice.”

Hold the freakin' phone... had Apollo just called Brice his 'partner'? He NEVER did that! It was always 'boyfriend'. Had the silent man before me actually managed to tame my spazoid brother? Deciding that I was going to do everything in my power to make this miracle worker feel welcome, I ignored his outstretched hand and pulled him in for a quick hug. “It's so great to meet you, Brice. Apollo's told me a lot about you.” I ignored the confused look Apollo shot me at how friendly I was being and turned to look at Spencer. “This is Spencer. He's a friend that works with Dave at the FBI.” I introduced lamely as I was still trying to figure out where I knew Brice from.

“Aren't you the guy who played Node 2 in the _Doctor Who_ episode, ' _Silence in the Library_ '? That was Spencer's way of introducing himself.

“Thank you!” Bless Spencer and his eidetic memory. That would have driven me crazy all day.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **


	6. Spencer

The Britton siblings were an interesting mix I decided after spending an afternoon in their company decorating a Christmas tree.

There was Diana, who was both incredibly organized and extremely introverted. The only time she really opened up was around Rossi or her siblings. If she got caught alone with me or Brice, she clammed up and become politely aloof.

Next came Apollo... who was a real character. Where both of his sisters were quiet and shy, he was loud and seemed to love being the center of attention. It was kind of funny because his partner, Brice, was the type of person to retreat into the background. Oddly enough, for two vastly different people, they seemed to fit together perfectly as a couple.

Finally came Nona, a girl so beautiful, sweet, and smart that she could have any man she wanted but was so insecure that she thought she was plain or average looking at best. She was clearly interested in me, one didn't need to be a genius to see that (once Rossi had pointed out to me), but she seemed to be incapable of doing anything about it.

I had just decided to make my move when Rossi decided to give us both a little push... with a little help from Morgan and Garcia.

“Nona, Reid,” he got our attention from where he was helping his wife string lights on the Christmas tree. “I need a favor from you two...”

The woman of my affections and I shared a curious look before I asked, “what kind of favor?”

“Morgan and Garcia missed their flight to Chicago. Garcia's truck is in the shop and Morgan's Escalade just bit the dust. Could you two go and pick them up and bring them back here? Nona, I'm asking you to go because I don't want poor Penny to be stuck in a car with Thing 1 and Thing 2.” Rossi spoke so innocently but it was easy to see his true motive. He wasn't a criminal profiler for nothing.

“Sure,” Nona blushed and nodded. “If Spencer doesn't mind, of course.”

We were almost two hours outside of D.C. That meant that I got two hours, at least, alone with Nona.

“I don't mind,” I shook my head.

Dave lent us his SUV for the drive and Nona and I got on the road. Morgan and Garcia had taken a cab back to Morgan's place to wait for us so they weren't stranded and we weren't in any kind of a rush.

“I'm sorry about Dave and Diana,” Nona finally spoke up after we had been on the road for about half an hour. “I don't know why they keep trying to force us together.”

“Probably because I let it slip to Dave that I liked you.” I watched her reaction out of the corner of my eye as I drove.

Nona didn't disappoint. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head and she opened and closed her mouth a few times without actually speaking.

Figuring that Morgan and Garcia were adults who could handle waiting a few extra minutes for their ride, I pulled off the road into one of those scenic overlook areas that were designed for tourists and put the car in park.

“If you don't like me back, that's completely okay.” It wouldn't be the first time I'd read a social situation wrong and been shot down by a woman.

“No, I like you too!” Nona said in a rush before turning red. “I'm just not like Diana. I'm not very good at things like this.”

I studied her face for any sign that she was being humorous but I found none. “Diana suffers from severe introversion and pathological shyness,” I pointed out. Rossi had even admitted that he pretty much had to stalk the woman in order for her to give him a chance in the early days of their relationship.

“So what does that say about me?” Nona gave a weak chuckle.

I found myself wanting to meet Mitchell Britton. I wanted to meet the man who, according to Rossi, had treated his daughters so poorly that they had almost zero self-esteem. If Morgan happened to be with him during the meeting and pulled his tough-guy, Rambo routine, he wouldn't complain one bit.

“I think it says that you are an incredible woman who underestimates herself.” I turned so I could look at her. “Can I propose an experiment?” I had a sudden (stolen) idea.

“Okay...?”

“For the rest of the week, until our vacation is over, you be my girlfriend. At the end of the week, you can decide if you want us to stay together or not.” It was the exact same tactic that Rossi had used to win over Diana but – hey – it had already been proven effective.

“Wha... what about you?” I was pretty sure that Nona had created her own race at this point, red.

“I'm a genius.” I shot her what I hoped was a good imitation of one of Morgan's flirty smiles. “I've already considered all the variables and, no matter the outcome, I've come to the conclusion that we're more than compatible and I want to be with you.” Now that was a line I'm sure the great Derek Morgan had never used on a woman before. Sheldon Cooper, maybe, but not Morgan.

“Okay,” she bit her lip and nodded, “we can give it a try.”

Taking a risk, I leaned across the seat and stole a quick kiss. Because Nona wasn't expecting it, it ended up being chaste and kind of clumsy... sort of like the two of us which made it kind of perfect in my book.

When we finally arrived in D.C. and I reintroduced Nona to Morgan and Garcia as my girlfriend, I couldn't keep the smug smile off my face when Morgan leaned over and whispered, “nice catch, pretty boy.”

When we arrived back at the cabin, Rossi noticed the relationship shift and commented, “that must have been one hell of a car ride.” This only made my smile grow wider.

 

 

_**[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) ** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morgan/Garcia is my Criminal Minds OTP and will always appear as a couple in my stories. I might even start a story about them soon. This is to correct the wrong the writers did these characters with the way Morgan left the show. Yes, I'm still very bitter about that. Yes, I know I'm petty and most likely insane. Glad we cleared that up.


	7. Nona

We didn't arrive back at the cabin until well after eleven. Everyone was about to turn in for the night when the house phone rang. Diana stepped out of the room to answer it and when my older sister returned, she had a grim look on her face. For a moment, I was actually scared that someone in the family had died.

“So...” Diana nervously picked at her fingernails. “Dad and Nicolette will be here tomorrow.”

“You've got to be kidding me,” I groaned at the same moment that Apollo called from across the room, “is that a joke?”

“No joke,” Diana shook her head. “They'll be here around four.”

“Why would they even think to come here?” I eyed my sister suspiciously.

“Because I invited them?” I wasn't sure if she was asking or telling us. “But in my defense, I've been inviting Dad to holidays ever since I moved out on my own and he's never accepted before. It was kind of just a habit at this point.”

Dave moved to stand beside Diana and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Looks like we're going to have a full house for the rest of the week. We're gonna need an extra guest room. Reid, you don't mind moving in with Nona, do you? That way it's a couple to each bedroom.”

Crazy brother-in-law says what? Spencer and I were seated on the couch and he had his arm around my shoulders. “I don't mind sharing if you don't,” he looked down and gave me a gentle squeeze. We were seated side by side on the couch and he had his arm around me.

“Su... sure,” I tripped over my one-word response.

By some sort of unspoken agreement, we waited to head upstairs until the rest of the group had already made their way to their rooms.

“Nona,” Spencer said my name softly to get my attention. He waited until my eyes met his before he continued speaking. “I don't expect anything to happen just because we're sharing a bed, sweetheart.” My belly warmed when he called me that. “If you want, I can wait until tomorrow to move in with you; give you one more night to yourself.”

Relieved to know that we were both on the same page about taking things slowly, I shook my head and smiled. “No, you don't have to do that. It's fine.”

“You sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable, sweetheart.” He reached up and brushed a piece of stray hair out of my eyes.

“I'm sure. I'm comfortable with you, Spencer,” I assured him.

“Good.” He leaned down and pecked my lips before getting to his feet. “Come on,” and he held out his hand for me. “Let's go to bed. I'm beat.”

 

 

_**[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com)** _

 


	8. Spencer

As we both took turns in the bathroom and went about our nightly routines, I could tell that Nona was distracted... and it wasn't by me. Once I had told her that I wasn't expecting sex from her, she had once again relaxed in my presence.

We settled in bed and I once again took a play out of Morgan's metaphorical playbook. I lightly tugged on the sleeve of Nona's pajama top. I was a little surprised when it worked and, taking the hint, she moved closer and laid her head on my t-shirt-clad chest. “What's bothering you, sweetheart?” I took a risk and asked as I lightly ran my fingertips up and down her spine. It felt so good to hold her in my arms. I knew that it was illogical but it felt like this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I thought I had at least until Christmas until I had to deal with my father and the wife of the week,” she spoke into my shirt and she spoke bitterly.

“You don't get along with your dad, do you, Nona?” I asked in an attempt to get her to open up. Keeping everything to herself wasn't healthy.

“Diana's the perfect one,” her voice was monotone. “I'm the underachiever and Apollo's the embarrassment, the one we don't talk about. We all have our roles in the Britton family... and dear old dad reminds us every time we see him.”

“Diana's perfect because she's a bestselling author, Apollo's an embarrassment because he's gay and a free spirit,” I ticked off aloud. “Why are you the underachiever?”

“Because I had a 4.0 GPA all through school and was valedictorian in both high school and college. I could have been a doctor or lawyer but I'm nothing but a teacher,” her voice grew meeker and sadder. All I wanted to do was make her feel better.

“Hey,” I tapped her hip lightly. “Without teachers, people like Diana wouldn't exist... and weird genius's like me would have no one to eat lunch with every day.”

That drew a laugh from her and she finally picked her head up to look at me. “Thanks, Spencer,” she laid a kiss on my cheek. “You're pretty awesome, you know that?” She smiled brightly at me and a surge of pride shot through me. I had put that pretty smile on her face.

“I'm glad you think so,” I reached up and stroked her cheek, “because I find you pretty amazing.” I drew her down to me for a soft kiss. When we parted, I tucked a piece of her long hair behind her ear. “Don't worry about your dad, sweetheart. I'll be with you the whole time and you know that Diana and Apollo have your back... Dave too.”

“I know.” Nona snuggled back down in my arms and my heart warmed because I knew she was speaking the truth. She trusted me to look out for her and I was determined not to let her down.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **

 


	9. Nona

I woke up the next morning in Spencer's arms. With my lanky boyfriend spooned up against my back with his arm possessively wrapped around my waist, I felt happy and safe... until I remembered my dad and new stepmother were coming.

“Sweetheart, relax.” The arm that was around my waist tightened as Spencer laid a soft kiss on my neck.

I turned in his arms to face him. “How'd you know that I was awake?”

He smiled sleepily. “You were all nice and relaxed but when you woke up you went stiff.” He dropped a sweet kiss on my lips.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Have I mentioned how much I'm dreading today?”

“Yeah, you did,” he chuckled. “And I told you that you had nothing to worry about because I'll be with you the whole time.”

I smiled at him before leaning up for another kiss. I was starting to think that I wanted Spencer in my life for much longer than just a week but... how did I tell him that?

Dad was punctual as usual, showing up at the front door at preciously four. Diana, Apollo, and I were pleasantly surprised to discover that our new stepmother, Nicolette, was actually a lovely woman with a career and money of her own. She was an emergency room doctor. Unfortunately, as nice as she was, Dad was still Dad.

“So,” Dad started as he eyed Spencer critically as we all sat in the living room. “What do you do for a living, boy?”

“Well, sir,” Spencer cleared his throat. “I'm a criminal profiler for the FBI. I work with Dave, Derek, and Penelope.”

“Is this the genius kid you were telling me about, Dave?”

“Yep,” Dave took a sip of his scotch. “Reid's one hell of an agent.”

“You would think that with all of those degrees you'd be working for NASA or something,” Dad said dismissively.

“Not everyone's as concerned with money and fame as you are, Dad,” Diana snapped.

“Yeah, some people actually like to help their fellow man,” Apollo chimed in. “We know it's a strange concept for you.”

And with that last comment, the conversation escalated into a full-blown screaming match between Dad, Apollo, and Diana. I stayed out of it, as usual, no good ever came from beating a dead horse. Dad was never going to change so why keep trying? Dave and Nicolette convinced my dad and siblings to take their argument outside while they tried to defuse the situation.

This left me in the living room with Spencer, Brice, Derek, and Penelope... and a whole lot of uncomfortable silence.

“Welcome to the Britton family…” Brice put on American accent and started imitating Drew Carey from _‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’_ “Where the loudest person wins and logic doesn't matter.”

That broke the tension and made everyone laugh. It also convinced me that we were keeping Brice... no matter what Apollo said.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **


	10. Spencer

To say that I didn't like Nona's father would be like saying that Socrates only got a little sick after drinking that hemlock. I tend to think cursing only shows a lack of an educated vocabulary but the only term that seemed to fit was fucking bastard. Mr. Britton was a fucking bastard. The way he treated his children was emotionally abusive. It didn't matter they were adults. I shuttered to think of the type of childhood that Nona and her siblings must have endured. I now completely understood why the Britton children were the way that they were.

Watching through the window, I saw Mr. Britton say something and Diana burst out in tears. This incensed Apollo who started screaming at his father. Dave put a hand on the younger man's shoulder to get him to take a step back.

“Brice, I think this is our cue.” Nona got her brother's partner's attention.

“I do believe you're correct, lass.” The man in question got to his feet.

“Be back... eventually.” Nona gave me a smile of apology.

I gave her a reassuring smile in return. “I'll be here, sweetheart.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me for a quick kiss before I was forced to release her to the madness outside. I got to my feet and went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee. Morgan followed me. I noticed my best friend giving me a strange look. “What?”

“When in the hell did you get game, pretty boy?” The look on the man's face could only be described as incredulous.

“What are you talking about?” I opened the fridge to grab some half and half. “I do not, nor will I ever have game.”

“If you don't have game, what's with all this 'sweetheart' and kisses and cuddles junk?” Morgan challenged, leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed.

“When you're with Garcia, is all that flirting and 'baby girl' stuff all an act?” I shot back, setting the half and half on the counter beside the taller man and turning to face him.

“What? Man, no,” Morgan shook his head. “I treat her that way because I love her and –”

“That's the way she deserves to be treated,” I finished for him. “Hate to break it to you, Derek, but if it all isn't some act that means you really don't have game either. You're not playing her. You love her, you said it yourself.”

I could almost see Morgan's ego deflating. Then, he decided to exact his revenge. “Fine, I don't have game, that's cool. I got baby girl, so who needs game?” Morgan smirked evilly. “Besides, you're the one who just pretty much admitted he was in love.”

Damn. He was right.

 

 

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